For Parents

The Pre-College Summer Scholars program at Loyola University Chicago allows your student to take part in a real college experience before he or she graduates from high school. Students develop college-level discussion, research, and time management skills which will better prepare them for the future.

In addition to coursework, your student will receive an introduction to many aspects of college life: being away from home, having a roommate, getting to know students from all over the U.S. and from several other countries, and participating in many extracurricular activities.

Then upon successful completion of the Summer Scholars program, your student will have earned transferable college credit(s)!

Shaped by our city and our Jesuit tradition, Loyola University Chicago offers students an educational environment unmatched for its diversity of thought and experience.

With three campuses spread throughout the greater Chicago area-- including along the stunning shoreline of Lake Michigan and in the heart of downtown's Magnificent Mile-- students have access to hundreds of cultural institutions as well as thousands of internships and networking opportunities with the city's Fortune 500 companies. Study abroad programs at our Rome and Beijing Centers provide engagement with the global community and economy.

While rigorous programs of research and study are one hallmark of a Jesuit education, we're not just preparing students for a career, we're preparing them for life. We challenge our students to learn broadly, to think critically, to serve generously, to lead with integrity, to respect diversity. We come from all faiths and ethnic and economic backgrounds, with a common purpose of building a better society.

Program staff members include College Coaches and Program Coordinators (PCs) who live in the residence hall alongside the students. The program is designed to give students a taste of college life while also recognizing the students are under the age of 18 and require added supervision.

The PCs are typically graduate students with experience in counseling and/or residential life. They supervise the College Coaches and make sure the overall program is running smoothly.

College Coaches are undergraduate students from various universities, who are responsible for:

supervising the well-being of every student enrolled in the program whether commuter or residential

taking lead during activities, off campus excursions and during the evenings/weekends

Assisting with course projects and/or reviewing homework

Being a positive role model

Providing leadership in emergency situations

Getting to know each student individually

Creating a positive environment

Addressing discipline issues

The Assistant Director and Program Coordinators will rotate being on-call 24 hours a day. Our program staff members are dedicated to creating a safe and fun experience for every student. If you have any special concerns or questions, please speak with one of us during Orientation check-in.

Invoices for student accounts are maintained and distributed by the Office of the Bursar, which generates the tuition and housing bills. These invoices can be accessed through your student’s LOCUS account.

Once students are enrolled in classes, Loyola generates an electronic bill (e-Bill) on the 15th of every month for any outstanding tuition or housing balances. Soon after their e-Bill is generated, an e-mail notification will be sent. Payments are due on the 5th of the following month. Monthly invoices are generated for current charges only. A student account may not be billed for the entire cost of the program in one cycle. We encourage you to check their account multiple times to make sure all bills are paid in full.

For each parent or guest, enter the person's last and first name, e-mail address and assign a password. (You may assign the same password to all those who receive proxy; or assign a different password for each.) The password is case-sensitive, must be 6 characters in length and include 2 digits. The university will assign each proxy with a Universal ID, which will be sent to each via the e-mail addresses you provided. *YOU are the only person who has the password(s) for those who have Parent/Guest Access, and you will need to communicate this information to them. Make certain you let them know when you have set them up with access and provide them with their password(s).

Check off all three of the boxes labeled Account Summary, e-Bill,Financial Aid, and View 1098T for all Bursar services. The Discuss Academic Records option is maintained and regulated by the office of Registration and Records.

Make a payment at anytime in LOCUS by e-check or credit card; LOCUS takes Mastercard, Amex, Discover, DinersClub. *No Visa. Links to the payment section can be found directly from Campus Finances and the Student e-Bill History page, as well as from the e-Bill itself. To view more payment options, click here.

Our program staff members designs an activity calendar which contains optional afternoon, evening and weekend programming for the duration of your student's stay. Each of these events are supervised by at least one staff member. Incorporated in this calendar may be the following:

Service learning opportunities

WII competitions

Second City

Six Flags

Arts exhibits / street fairs

Cubs and/or Sox baseball games

World class museum visits including the Shedd Aquarium

Please review the sample 2012 Activity Calendar to get a idea of the opportunities available to your student. Weekend activities are planned over the course of several hours, so students need to be mindful of their need for study and relaxation as the weekend comes to a close. We strongly encouraged attendance to the following events:

Parent/Student Orientation

Group Dinner after Parent/Student Orientation

Student orientation with campus tour

Final night festivities

There is a mixture of programs which are free and those that have a fee attached. It is important to know that any program with an added fee has been subsidized to a fraction of its original cost. Again, all the planned programs and events are optional. Alternatively, program staff members provide opportunities for students to win admission into certain desirable events by participating in several group challenge games or earning Scholar of the Week!!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Fees for the Summer Scholar program depend on residential status as well as specific program enrollment. For a complete listing of program fees, please visit our Tuition & Fees page. You also must plan to purchase books and/or course materials which can range from $10 to $200 depending on the class.

Is financial aid available?

Unfortunately, this summer we are not able to offer any financial assistance to our students.

Every admitted student will receive helpful information prior to the start of class. Please refer to the For Admitted Students page. It will is regularly updated with pertinent information.

Residential students can begin their check-in process starting at 9:00am.

Commuter students must be arrive on campus prior to 1:00pm to be on time for the Family Orientation.

Will there be someone to meet my son/daughter at the airport?

Yes, we provide shuttle service to any residential student traveling alone. Please contact the our office via e-mail with flight details at summerscholars@luc.eduThis notification must be sent at least 48 hours in advance so we can add your student to our shuttle list.

Program staff will meet your son/daughter at baggage claim and escort them to the Loyola vehicle for transportation back to campus. And in an effort to be as efficient as possible, it may be necessary to wait at the airport until another student's flight arrives before leaving.

What if we arrive at the residence hall outside the designated check-in time?

If your travel arrangements result in you arriving before the designated check-in time, please call the Summer Scholars program office at (773) 508-7772(773) 508-7772 as soon as possible. Program staff will be on hand prior to the official check-in, but there is no guarantee that your son/daughter will have complete access to the hall if they arrive early.

Additionally, if you anticipate s/he will be arriving after the designated check-in time, call the Summer Scholars program office at (773) 508-7772(773) 508-7772 and provide further information. The program staff will then make preparations to welcome your student into the hall.

Are Summer Scholars allowed to drive to campus?

Residential Summer Scholars students are NOT allowed to have a car on Loyola’s campus. Commuter students may drive to and from campus daily. They will either pay to park by the hour in one of Loyola’s visitors’ lots, or they may purchase a parking pass.

Commuter students are not allowed to provide rides to other students in their personal car during the course of the program.

Alternatively, all commuter students will be issued CTA passes for the duration of the program. We encourage commuters to utilize Chicago’s CTA system instead of paying an extra cost using their personal vehicles.

May I give my son/daughter permission to travel by themselves?

No, admission to the Summer Scholars program means that all students will be held accountable to the same rules and procedures. It would be seen as unfair and/or preferential to other students to allow your son/daughter to have a special set of rules.

Classes range in size from 12 to 20 students and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once accepted into the program, students are requested to rank in order their top 5 courses. Enrollment will be based on availability; students will be notified if their top selection is not available.

We expect to have several hundred students on campus over the course of the summer. No matter the population of our program, students receive personal attention from both their professors and the program staff. This also gives students the optimal opportunity to get to know the other Summer Scholars -- 80% of enrolled students live on campus.

Do most students attend the program alone or with friends?

The majority of students attend the program on their own, but can absolutely accommodate pairs and even groups of friends at the same time. Roommate requests can be made on their housing contracts. Either way, students are guaranteed to have a great time on campus and making friends is easy.

What do Summer Scholars students do in their free time?

Students stay busy during throughout the day. All students will attend class in the morning, and most afternoons are spent studying or participating in programs. During the afternoons and evenings, students will have the opportunity to devote more time to their course work and/or to participate in optional evening activities, including campus tours, museum visits, comedy clubs, and other social programs happening in the hall.

On the weekends, we plan full day events which take place in throughout the Chicagoland area. Please review the sample 2012 Activity Calendar.

Our staff develops this entire calendar of fun and educational programs for the students, and we encourage them to take advantage of as many unique opportunities as are possible. At the same time, we expect students to prioritize their academic work and to make wise choices about how to spend their time. In fact, previous Summer Scholars have reported learning the valuable lesson of time management. They have remarked that in a college setting, it is especially important learn to balance academic, extra-curricular, and social demands.

May commuter students participate in the planned programs and activities?

Yes! We encourage all students to participate in the planned activities and events. Please take a look at the sample 2012 Activity Calendar to get a glimpse of the kinds of programs we will be conducting this summer. Students will be required to RSVP and/or pay in advance for certain activities due to limited availability. These requirements will be explained at Family Orientation.

May commuters students hang out with other students at the residence hall?

Yes! All Summer Scholar students have full access to the residence hall. We use the residence hall as a home base for program and activities as well as a place to meet when leaving for events.

May students visit with family friends and/or relatives during the program?

Students are allowed to leave campus under the supervision of local friends and relatives if we have received prior approval from the their parent and/or guardian. This permission must be received via email at least 48 hours in advance. The person checking out the student must be over the age of 18 and leave their contact information.

However, most students find that they have a packed schedule during the program. And in order to allow students to take full advantage of their experience, we encourage parents and students to schedule visits with friends and family members either before the program begins or after it ends.

Our program staff made up of both graduate and undergraduate students who live in the residence hall along with the students. The Program Coordinators (PCs) are usually graduate students with experience in counseling and/or residential life; they supervise the College Coaches. The College Coaches are responsible for every student who lives in the residence hall. They supervise the students during activities and in the evenings.

Program staff are available 24 hours a day and are dedicated to creating a safe and fun experience for every student.

What sort of supervision will students have?

The Summer Scholars program is designed to give students a taste of college life while also recognizing that they are still in high school and providing the requisite supervision. All residential students are required to sign a check-out log prior to leaving campus for any reason other than class.

Students must also abide by Chicago's designated curfew hours for minors (10:00pm on weekdays, 11:00pm on weekends unless under supervision of program staff). And students will be expected to be back in their rooms by 12:00am Sunday through Thursday and 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Nightly room checks will be performed by staff members to ensure all residential students adherence to curfew rules.

All students are given a set boundaries around Rogers Park from which they may freely travel; includes shops, restaurants and a local beach. For excursions outside the set boundaries, students must be accompanied by program staff.

Students ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VISIT OTHER RESIDENCE HALLS on campus, and only Summer Scholars students and program staff are allowed inside the designated residence hall.

The only required expenses not included in the fees for the program are the cost of any required books for a student’s particular course.

The staff has developed a calendar of events which have events that are both free and cost a small fee. Any such program which requires an additional cost has been subsidized by the program to less than half the regular price. Programs are mandatory and we encourage students to develop personal responsibility when determining which events they want to participate in. Students should plan to have spending money for any souvenirs or extras that they wish to purchase.

All residential students will also have a full meal plan, which entitles them to three meals/day in Damen Dining. Students who wish to use their meal plans in the campus markets or at the coffee stands, will need to monitor their balances, so they have enough funds to last through the duration of the program.

We do not encourage students to bring large amounts of cash to Loyola University Chicago. There are ATMs for many major banks on campus, and most places that your son or daughter may spend money accept debit and/or credit cards.

What is the Family Orientation?

The Orientation is designed for give parents an overview of the program, hear from staff members across campus, and have any lingering questions answered.

While not ideal, we will understand if your schedule does not permit attendance to the Family Orientation. In those cases, we can send you an electronic version of the information we supplied.

Do students need to bring a laptop to the campus?

Students have found that bringing a laptop to the program is useful and convenient. Loyola provides wireless internet access in the residence hall and throughout campus, and our Loyola IT will be available to help students connect during the first days of classes.

Students will have access to the Information Commons and several other computing labs throughout campus. Students relying on the labs will need to observe the hours of operation for their preferred computer lab.

*Students may print assignments from the hall office during posted hours. Although, there is no printing in the morning prior to class.

What if my son/daughter does not have room to pack his/her bed linens?

You have several options:

1) Bed linens can be mailed to students who live in the residence hall prior to the start of the program

2) Bed linens may be purchased when the program travels to Target to allow students to pick up any missing items

3) Our program has a limited number of bed linens which can be lent to your student for the duration of the program.

What if we need to cancel?

All cancellation requests must be sent via email at summerscholars@luc.edu. A parent/guardian may cancel their son/daughter’s admission for any reason (14) days prior to the first day of class. An advance withdrawal such as this guarantees a full refund including the $500 deposit.

Withdrawal requests sent with less than (14) days remaining before the start of the program will result in a refund of all money paid less the $500 deposit.

Withdrawal requests made after the program has begun are subject to forfeiture of the $500 deposit and the student may also be required to pay for a percentage of the total program fees.